Column.



No. 730,150. n

U NrTED j STATES Patented June 2, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE J. PFAHL, OFPATIERSON, NEWV YORK.

v SPECIFICATION'forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,150, dated June 2, 1903.

j A'ppiiauon fired Deeuber 30.1902. serai Nn. 137,149. (No mda.)

To all whom ft' may concern:

Be it known that I-,GEoRGE- .J.. PFAHL, a

c citizen of the United States, vresiding at Pat# terson, in thecounty ofPutnam and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Columns; and I do' declare the following-to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use. the same.

My invention is an improvedsectional column .composed 'of separable staves made of wood or other suitable material; and it consists in the peculiarV construction and combination of devices hereinafterfully described and claimed.

The object of myinvention isto provide aV column of this character composed of staves which are adaptedto be assembled by a lat-` eral movement instead of bya longitudinal movement, as heretofore, and thereby prevent the glue employed for fastening the staves together from being dislodged from the opposing sides thereof in the act of assemblingthe staves.

Infthe accompanying drawings, Figure l is a transverse sectional view of acolumn em-` bodying my improvements. V Fig.'2 is a detail perspective View showing a portion of one of the staves. Fig; 3 is a diagram illustrating the pivotal and lateral movement of the staves when the same are being assembled to form a column.

In the embodiment of my invention I provide a suitable number of staves l. As here shown, the column is formed of eight staves; butany suitable number of staves may be employed, and I do not limit myself in .this particular.

One side of the lateral face 2 of each stave is at right angles, or approximately so, to the inner side 3 thereof, and theV side 4 of each stave converges inwardly toward the side 2. Each stave is'formed' at the angle between the sides 2 3'constituting one of the inner corners of thestave with a longitudinal substantially semicylindricalgroove 5 and a` longitudinal transverselygrooved `and inturned lip-tongue 6, which forms one side of the said groove and is salient with reference to the lateral face 2, the groove 5 being rediagram Fig. 3. vcomprising my column Ytobe assembled by a entrant with reference to the inner side 3 and the 'lip-ton gue being also approximately tangential with reference to a circle concentric with the center of the column.

" In the oblique-lateral face 4 of each stav matches the lip-tongue 6, hereinbefore d escribed, and at the inner corner of each stave opposite the groove `5 is a substantially semicylindrical tongue S, which exactly matches the groove 5 of the next adjacent stave.

.Thesaid tongues and grooves enable the staves `to be assembled by a lateral movement instead of by a longitudinal movement,

as heretofore, thel coengaging lock tongues and grooves at the inner corners of thestaves enabling the latter to be assembled by a pivotal movement as the staves are turned to cause their respective sides 2 4 to come in contact, the tongues 8 to enter the grooves 5, and the tongues 6, which are substantially concentric withthe tongues 8, to enter the grooves 7, thisbeing fullyillustrated in the By thus adapting the staves lateral and pivotalV movement thereof on the is a longitudinal groove- 7, which exactly coengaging lock tongues and grooves the v glue which isappliedto the opposing and contracting faces 2 4 of the staves is-not disturbed, subjected tovfriction, andpartially or entirely rubbed off, as is the case in those columns heretofore constructed in which the staves are assembled by alongitudinal movement.

The exterior sides-'ofthe staves may'be of any suitableform, according to the desired form of the columns, Whether cylindrical, approximately conical, orpolygonal.

In the form offstave's herein shown the inner and outer side of the staves are parallel, and after theyhave been assembled to form a column, if it beVdesired-that the latter shall be cylindrical orl of approximately conical form, the same will be turned to give it the required form, as .will'be understood.

It `willbe understood that when assembling the staves to form a column thelast stave is inserted in place longitudinally. Butslight angular movement between the other staves the last stave is inserted are prevented from IOO bearing frietionally against it during its longitudinal movement to such extent as to rub oi the glue.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principles or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A column composed of staves having inwardly-eonverging sides and provided at their inner corners with eoengaging tongues and grooves forming pivotal connections between the several staves, while the latter are being assembled, substantially as described.

2. A column composed of staves having inwardly-eonvergin g sides and coen gaging lock tongues and grooves approximately concentric with the inner corners of the staves and enabling the latter to be assembled by a lateral and pivotal movement thereof, substantially as described.

3. A column composed of staves having in wardly-converging sides and coengaginglock tongues and grooves approximately concentric with the inner corners of the staves, and tangentially disposed with reference to a eircle concentric with'the center of the column, substantially as described.

4. A colu1nnstave ol." polygonal form, crosssectional, having at one of its inner corners a longitudinal and substantially semieylindrieal groove, and a cross-sectional incurved lip-tongue forming one side of said groove, and having at the opposite inner corner a semicylindrieal longitudinal tongue corresponding with the first-mentioned groove, and a groove on the outer side of said tongue corresponding with the first-mentioned liptongue, substantially as described.

5. A column-stave, of cross-sectional., polygonal form having the lateral face 2 approximately at right angles to the inner face 3, the oblique face 4 converging inwardly toward the face 2, longitudinal groove 5 and liptongue at the angle between the sides 2, 3, and a longitudinal matching tongue 8 and groove 7 in the angle between the sides Il, l-, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE J. PFATIL.

iVitnesses:

HENRY LUCLINGTON, EUGENE C. SADLER. 

